Project 333: Month 3 Update & Final Conclusions

I DID IT! I went 3 months with just 33 items in my closet! I can’t believe I’m already done with this challenge- it feels like I started it yesterday! To recap: #Project333 is a minimalistic fashion challenge created by CourtneyCarverof the blog, Be More With Less. The basics of this challenge is to live with 33 items of items for 3 months, hence the 333. I started this challenge back in mid-January and just completed it on Easter Sunday.

If you missed my introductory post about #Project333, including the rules and whatnot, you can find it here.

During the beginning of my challenge, I had originally planned to do a weekly recap of my outfits, but then I realized the “Hey guys this week I wore..” post would be a little too repetitive. So instead, I did a monthly recap and added some things I learned about myself throughout that entire month.

The collages below include all my outfits for the third and final month of this challenge. I’d say some of my most worn products were the dark wash jeggings and purple converse. I was already in a groove by the time the last month came around and it was really nice because I looked out together most of the time. I learned that my go to outfit I went to when I was in a rush was a nice shirt/blouse with a scarf and pants. I might have already mentioned this, but I’ll reiterate that no one noticed that I was wearing the same pants or leggings consecutively. Most of my friends didn’t even know that I was doing this challenge unless I had previously told them.

I did come close to breaking my rule of not shopping for new clothes. My professional fraternity’s formal was recently and I almost went shopping for a new jumpsuit to wear to the event. Fortunately, I decided against it and wore the black dress that was already in my 33 items. Funny enough, this was the only time I wore the dress, in all of the 3 months. I wore the same dress to last year’s formal and got even more compliments this time because I rocked the dress. Black never goes out of style, it’s timeless!

Back to the bigger picture: in the 12 weeks of my Project 333 challenge, I created 84 outfits from just 33 items. I honestly believe that I could create more outfits with my 33 item capsule wardrobe. So here is my round up post of Project 333, here we go…

My biggest takeaway from the challenge..

In the beginning, I thought my biggest takeaway would be to gain greater creativity from creating different outfits from a limited wardrobe but I’d classify this as one of the best things of the challenge.

My biggest takeaway was realizing how much unnecessary stuff I have in my life and how I put value on material things.

When I chose my 33 items at the beginning of the challenge, I put the rest of my clothes in garbage bags and didn’t touch it. Most of the stuff in those boxes are old and ill fitting on me. The reason why I still have them is due to sentiment and an unhealthy motivation to ‘fit back into those clothes’. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about. We all have that one blouse or those pair of jeans that are just a little too tight but we still keep them to use as motivation to lose weight. Not only is this unhealthy and unattainable, it also makes us add unnecessary pressure on ourselves and value beauty on a physical level.

Through out this challenge, I learned to be more accepting of the changes my body has gone through. My body is no longer as thin as it was when I ran cross country in high school. My body is curvier and my legs are stronger because I added strength training to my exercise routine. With these changes, of course my old jeans won’t fit anymore. I stopped focusing so much on my weight and size and instead focused on how my body feels. When you feel healthy and are getting in enough exercise and eating enough whole foods, little things such as waist size shouldn’t hold a high standard in your mind.

Since I didn’t shop for clothes for 3 months, I had more time to read books I’ve been meaning to read. I also had more time to myself and write about my thoughts. I spent most of my downtime with family and friends, where we actually did things besides shopping. We place so much our time and value into material things, we should really putting that effort into having different experiences.

Did I get bored?

I rarely got bored with this challenge. Refer to best things about this challenge (below).

What were my most worn items?

Definitely my black leggings, dark was jeggings, chambray shirt and scarves. I also wore my dark brown boots quite a bit to get me through the rainy weather.

Was there anything I didn’t wear?

Hah, yes! I didn’t end up wearing my white blouse with black polka dots because I forgot about it (and it no longer fit me haha). So really, I did this challenge with 32 items 😉

Best thing about the challenge?

Having a uniform. Every morning, I spent maybe 5 minutes getting dressed because I already had an idea of what I wanted to wear. The best thing about this was knowing that I would look good with whatever I chose that day since most of the items meshed well together. This made my confidence soar, which positively translated to how I carried myself.

Hardest thing about the challenge?

Aside from almost breaking the no shopping rule, nothing was hard about this challenge. If anything, I was motivated to create a new outfit for each day of the challenge.

Will I keep it up?

I would like to! I need to replace some of the items in my capsule wardrobe like my black flats. After the Memphis trip, I retired my black flats and am currently looking for black flats and casual shoes that are comfortable, stylish, and stood in for long periods of time.

I love the idea of changing the wardrobe based on the seasons. I feel like this approach is better for me, only because my wardrobe isn’t very ‘interchangable’ (yet). If I do this challenge again, I’ll approximate the 33 since it is a good amount to strive to and keep less hangers in my closet.

Interested in taking on the Project 333 challenge?

YAS! You definitely should! For more information on how to get started and what the rules of this challenge are, check out Courtney Carver’s website Be More With Less. Her blog is a wonderful resource for minimalist living and decluttering your life, so definitely visit her blog. It will be worth your time! 🙂

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About the Author

Here you'll find my travel adventures, running antics, and college stories as I finish my undergraduate degree. I hope you'll find some inspiration and humor through my posts and maybe even take note of all the beautiful things in your life, too!